Electric sign-flasher.



J. A. KARPEL.

ELECTRIC SEGN FLASHER.

APPLICATION mzo MAY 14.

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l. A. KARPEL.

ELECTRIC SIGN FLASHEB.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 14. 1911.

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WIN/E8858 INVENTOR 12m By JAKarpel A ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 29, 1918.

JOSEPH ARON KARPEL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC SIGN-FLASHER.

Application filed May 14, 1917.

1 To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OSEPl-I A. KARPEL, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Electric Sign-Flasher, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact descrip tion. i

This invention relates to electrical display devices and has particular reference to variable contact means operated from a single source of power and preferably in a sub stantially continuous manner.

Among; the objects of the invention is to improve the details of construction of a rotary multiple make and break device with reference particularly to the prevention of burning out of the contacts by arcing.

Another object of the invention is to improve the construction of the several rotary contact members.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists in the arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and while the invention is not restricted to the exact details of construction disclosed or suggested herein, still for the purpose of illustrating a practical embodiment thereof reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same parts in the several views, and in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation, somewhat diagrammatic. of a preferred embodiment of w my invention.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same broken away at its middle portion to conserve space.

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal detail through several of the contact devices and supporting means.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of one contact member having approximately a 90 contact surface.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the master contact member.

Fig. 7 is a vertical transverse sectional detail on the line 7-7 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of a portion of the contact member shown in Fig. 5.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings I show a variable electric sign Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 29, 1918.

Serial No. 168,478.

flasher comprising any suitable stationary supports 10 and 11 supported in any suitable position and anchored preferably to a base 12 of slate or its equivalent so as to be well protected from the ground. Journaled in these standards is a shaft 13, of any suitable length, adapted to be rotated at any desired speed and preferably continuously. The means I show for driving this shaft includes a worm gear 14 secured to the shaft with which a power driven worm 15 cooperates. The worm and its shaft are journaled in a bracket 16 adjustable vertically along the standard 10.

A series of rotary contact members. shown as seventeen in number by way of illustration, are secured to the shaft 13 and spaced slightly from one another along the shaft. So far as the connection to the shaft. however, is concerned these members are insulated as indicated in Fig. 4 by being gripped by set screws 17 upon thimbles 18 of insulation. One of the end contact members, 19, is referred to herein as the master member and has a continuous contact periphery. (See Fig. 6.) At the opposite end of the series is a contact member 20 whose periphery is divided into four equal contact arcs 21 having as many insulation spacers 22 and of the same circumferential extent. All of the contact members 23 between the end members 19 andQO are of the same general character but differ from one another only in a slight variation in the length of the contact periphery or rim 24.

I wish now to describe more minutely the construction of each of these contact mem bore 23. As will be understood from Figs. 4 and 5 each of them comprises a hub 25. a web portion26, and an are shaped contact periphery 24 of any desired extent varying from the shortest in the member adjacent to the member 20 up to the longest, less than a complete circle, in the member adjacent to the master member 19. Aswill be seen in Figs. 4 and 8 the contact rim portion 24. is materially wider or thicker than the web but the ends thereof are bounded by radial planes 27 which cut through all of the rim and slightly inwardly intothe web. All of the web beyond the hub 25 and. the rim portion 24 is flat and of uniform. thickness throughout and is provided. witha circular are shaped periphery28. Each ofithe web portions of each contact member; including the master member, is connected electrically ferential extents and tact members, each member having a smooth circular periphery, the peripheries of the several contact members being provided with blocks of insulation of varying circuma series of contact brushes cooperating with the several smooth practically unbroken peripheries aforesaid,

each brush comprising a shoe having a polyg- Oopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the said.

JOSEPH ARON KARPEL.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. O." 

